Women can use cash coupons to buy ration

Food and civil supplies minister UT Khader said the government will provide cash coupons at a standard rate for 1 kg of grains."We will give the coupons based on the prices we fix for foodgrains for BPL families.TNN | December 23, 2016, 12:34 IST

Women showing their ration cards at a village in Tamil Nadu.file photo by P Sreedharan)BENGALURU: In what is being labelled as a likely replacement of the government's flagship scheme of providing foodgrains at dirt-cheap prices, the food and civil supplies department will launch a pilot project of providing cash coupons for 3,000 BPL card holders. They can buy ration of their own choice from authorized ration or private shops.

The pilot project will start in Mysuru, Mangaluru and Bengaluru.

Food and civil supplies minister UT Khader said the government will provide cash coupons at a standard rate for 1 kg of grains."We will give the coupons based on the prices we fix for foodgrains for BPL families. These coupons can be exchanged only for foodgrains in any private or ration shop for whatever quantity the card holder wants." However, only women members of BPL families can exchange these coupons.

Considering quality: The prime reason for the coupons is to ensure quality of foodgrains and avoid excess procurement by the state to distribute to BPL card holders, the minister explained.

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